Fence



May 6, 1941.

J. A. DEN'TON FENCE- Filed July 25, 1938 osqnvu B. Denton ATTORNEY.

' section taken on line 5-5 Patented May e, 1941 Um-ran sfr-.ares PATENT FENCE Joseph A.`.Denton, Milwaukee, Wis. Application July.25, 1938, Serial No. .221,042 3 claims. .(01. 25e- 59) This invention relates to an improvement in prefabricated fences.

One of the objects of theV present invention is to provide a fence, thecomponent parts of which may be cut and fashioned at thefactory and conveniently and compactly packaged for shipment to the point of erection land then-readily :and easily and economically erected.

Another object of thev invention isi to provide a Prefabricated fence of this character which may beconstitutedlmainly of lumber unsuitable Afor ordinary purposes and ,at present largely scrapped.

Another object of the invention :is te provide a fence which is so constructed "that the rails will not warpor split underI the influence of the weather orfor other reasons as, forvexample, as a consequenceA of personsstepping on the rails when climbingover the fence.

A further object is to provide a fence in which the rails may be disposed horizontally or angled from the horizontal without requiring any structural changes in the elements of the fence.

A still further object is to provide a fence which is strong, durable and weather resisting.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel `features of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out inv the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a fence constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a, View in longitudinal vertical cross section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 4, parts being shown in elevation for the sake of illustration;

Figure 4 is a view partly in transverse vertical cross section and partly in elevation taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, the metal cap being omitted;

Figures 5 and 6 are views in horizontal cross and 6--6 respectively of Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is a similar of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing and more particularview taken on line 'I-'I ly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the fence embodying the present invention comprises generally posts designated generally at P and rails designated generally at R.

The posts P are of similar construction and each comprises .a short metal base section I 0, the

the uprights lor alined bolt holes Each spacer I1 consists ground. Combined with each base section Ill is a pairv of upright wooden post members I2 of similar construction and disposed in spaced par allel relation. The confronting faces of the upright post members I2 are formed with longitudinally extendinggrooves I 3. The lower ends of I2 overlap the upper ends of the base section I0 and are fastened thereto by a suitable fastening device such as a bolt and nut I3'.

The rails R which are ordinarily horizontally disposed have their ends positioned between the uprights I2 of the posts and at each rail level the adjacent ends of the rails overlap, as shown to advantage in Figure 5. The overlapping end portions of the rails are providedwith registering 'I4 which are considerably larger in their diameter than the diameter of the cooperable bolts I5 which pass through bolt holes provided therefor in the uprights I2 and through the bolt holes I4, and are secured in position by a nut and washer I6. By having the ends of the rails overlapped and clamped between the uprights, the rail is effectively held against warping or twisting and yet due to the clearance between the bolt holes I4 and the bolts I5 the rails may expand or contract as they sometimes do under the iniluenceof the weather.

In order to support the rails at their proper horizontal level and relieve them of splitting or other destructive strains, wooden spacers I1 are provided between the rails at the diierent levels. of a Wooden strip having beads I8 along opposite edges which are received in corresponding formations in the oors of the grooves I3. When the bolts and nuts I5 and I6 are tightened up not only the rails but also the spacers are clamped in position between the uprights. The ends of the spacers engage the rails and provide a positive support for them independently of the bolts I5.

Each post is provided with a metal cap 20 of inverted U-shape extending over the top of the uprights and down along the sides thereof and held in position by the bolts I5 and nuts I6 cooperating with the upper ends of each post. These caps protect the posts from the weather and in the summertime become heated up and tend to prevent birds from lighting on the top of the posts.

lThe post construction also lends itself to the formation of corners by the simple provision of held in position on a corner post P by means of screws 2'! which pass through the corner pieces and then thread into the spacers of the adjacent post P. The screws frictionally clamp the rails R in position. If desired they may be held in position by bolts similar to the bolts l5 and which pass through corresponding bolt holes I4 in the rails, the bolts being also extended through bolt holes in the spacers.

As illustrated in Figure 3, this type of construction also lends its-elf to angling of the rails R from the horizontal as is sometimes necessary.

While I have shown and described one construction in which the invention may be advantageously embodied, 't is to be understood that the construction shown has been selected merely for the purpose of illustration or example and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A pre-cut fence of the character described comprising spaced posts and rails extending between the posts, each post including a base member adapted to be driven into the ground, a pair of upright wooden post members having their confronting faces formed with longitudinally extending grooves, said members having their lower ends overlapping and fastened to the upper end of the base section with said grooves engaging said upper end, the ends of the rails at the same level being overlapped and disposed between the upright post members, spacers disposed between the post members and having their ends engaged with the rails to positively supportthe same vertically, said spacers having portions tting within said grooves, and fastening devices extending transversely between each pair of upright wooden post members and forcing the post members toward each other and into clamping engagement with the overlapped end portions of the rails and also into clamping engagement with the interposed spacers.

2. A pre-cut fence of the character described comprising spaced posts and rails extending between the posts, each post including a base member adapted to be driven into the ground, a pair of upright wooden post members having their confronting faces formed with longitudinally extending grooves, said members having rtheir lower ends fastened to the upper end of the base section with said grooves engaging said upper end, the ends of the rails at the same level being overlap-pad and disposed between upright post members, spacers disposed between the post members and having their ends rounded and engaged with the rails to positively support the same vertically and allow angling of the rails relative to the horizontal, said spacers having portions fitting with said grooves, land fastening devices forcing the post members toward each lother and into clamping engagement with fthe overlapped end portions of the rails and also into clamping engagement with the spacers.

3. A fence comprising posts including short, pointed, metal base sections, a pair of upright wooden post members having confronting faces formed with longitudinally extending grooves,

their lower ends overlapping and fastened to said sections with said grooves engaging said sections, rails extending between said posts and having their ends disposed between said members in overlapping sideby-side relationship, said rails being secured to said members by a single fastening permitting pivoting movement thereof relative to said posts. 

